Brault to start Wednesday against Cubs, Musgrove still hurt

Pirates starter Joe Musgrove, who is on the disabled list with an injured shoulder, will not make his next scheduled start on Wednesday evening against the Chicago Cubs.

Clint Hurdle said that Musgrove has not yet picked up a ball and will not for the next seven days. The Pirates righty, who has yet to make his regular season debut with the club, plans to begin playing catch on Monday when the Bucs travel to Wrigley Field.

With Musgrove unable to pitch, the Pirates will turn to Steven Brault in his stead. The lefty swingman has already won two games this season, which included a spot start against Cincinnati earlier this week where he allowed just one run in five innings.

Hurdle is optimistic that Brault’s solid start on Thursday will help bolster his confidence as he occupies an interim position in the Pirates rotation.

“This is a guy that we believe is going to be a starter and now he will have the opportunity to do it,” Hurdle said.

So far this season, Brault has accumulated a 1.13 ERA with seven strikeouts in eight innings pitched.